> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.exmergo.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# dex CLI overview

> Every dex CLI command at a glance: global options, connection flags shared by all subcommands, and where to start, generated from the released argparse tree.

Explore an unfamiliar warehouse, transform it with reviewable dbt edits, and maintain it as the world drifts.

## Getting oriented

Point it at data with `--connector`/`--path`, or commit a connector: block to .dex/config.yml (found by walking up from the working directory).

DBT\_PROFILES\_DIR only locates dbt profiles.yml for dbt operations and the last-resort credential fallback; it does not select dex's connector or override `--connector`/`--path` or .dex/config.yml.

No warehouse yet: `dex demo` seeds a local one, no credentials needed. Have one already: `dex explore map` is the command to run first. It ranks what matters, profiles it, and infers how the tables join.

`dex <group> --help` lists a group's own subcommands.

## Command groups

| Group | What it does |
| - | - |
| [`dex connect`](/dex/cli/connect) | check a connector's own credentials and capabilities |
| [`dex explore`](/dex/cli/explore) | make sense of a warehouse: rank objects, profile columns, infer joins |
| [`dex transform`](/dex/cli/transform) | author and refactor dbt models, tests, and the semantic layer |
| [`dex semantic`](/dex/cli/semantic) | define dbt or native semantic layers as reviewable diffs |
| [`dex maintain`](/dex/cli/maintain) | detect drift against the last snapshot and propose the fix |
| [`dex viz`](/dex/cli/viz) | preview the semantic layer (not yet implemented) |
| [`dex config`](/dex/cli/config) | read, check and change .dex/config.yml, as reviewable diffs |
| [`dex demo`](/dex/cli/demo) | create a seeded local DuckDB warehouse to try dex against (no credentials, no network) |

## Global options

Every command accepts these. The last column says where on the command line each one may go.

| Option | Description | Position |
| - | - | - |
| `--connector NAME` | warehouse to use, overriding connector: in .dex/config.yml | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--path FILE` | DuckDB database file to read | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--scope NAMESPACE` | narrow the committed source allowlist to this namespace; repeatable | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--project PROJECT` | BigQuery project (the older spelling of `--scope`) | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--dataset DATASET` | BigQuery dataset, repeatable (the older spelling of `--scope`) | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--repo-root DIR` | directory to resolve .dex/config.yml from, walking up (default: .) | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--confirm` | run a billed command after its cost was quoted | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--budget AMOUNT` | spend this command may use, in the connector's cost unit | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--session-ceiling AMOUNT` | answer the one-time ask: commit this daily spend ceiling | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--no-session-ceiling` | answer the one-time ask: record that no ceiling applies | before the group or after the subcommand |
| `--cache-backend NAME` | where .dex/ state is kept for this run; must precede the group | before the group only |
| `--project-format NAME` | transformation project format for this run; must precede the group | before the group only |

Source: [`packages/dex-core/src/exmergo_dex_core/cli.py`](https://github.com/exmergo/dex/blob/v1.14.1/packages/dex-core/src/exmergo_dex_core/cli.py) ([edit on main](https://github.com/exmergo/dex/edit/main/packages/dex-core/src/exmergo_dex_core/cli.py)). This page is generated; change the source, not the site.


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